Julian L Gillispie was born in 1935 to Delbert and Mae Gillispie in Arbovale West Virginia. He was married to Joyce Gillispie from 1963 to her death in 2020. They had two children, Belinda and Tim, and two grandchildren, Carolynn and Justin.
Julian did many different things in his life, and liked working with his hands, building things, and tinkering. After high school, he tried college but didnât think it was right for him. He worked for a few years for the Forest Service in Idaho, around the woods and the trees, working with his hands and building things. He went into the Army with the hope of being a helicopter pilot, but color blindness told him to try other areas, so he did. He retired from the US Army in 1979, and from Federal Service in 1998, from Fort Ritchie Maryland. For many years, while in the military and in federal service, he worked as a part-time handyman for people in the Fairfield area. After his second retirement, he became a certified electrician.
During his time in the military he served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969, and was stationed in Korea, France, Germany, Alaska, California and Maryland. He liked having seen a lot of the world, and said he was proud to have been in 49 of the US states. He wouldnât say which one he hadnât been in.
He was the oldest child of a large family, and took a lot of pride in both his siblings and his home state. He remembered growing up on a farm with a lot of fondness and a lot of responsibilities. It also instilled in him a desire to plant things and watch them grow. He was the owner of a well-cared for and abundant garden.
A graveside funeral service will be held Friday, March 31, 2023 at 2:00 PM at Fairfield Union Cemetery with Rev. Christopher Frye officiating. There will be a viewing at Monahan Funeral Home in FAIRFIELD, PA on Friday from 1:00 PM until 1:45 PM. Online obituary and condolences available at monahanfuneralhome.com.
This obituary was originally published here.